''Orpheus'', original title ''Orphée'', is a stage play written by

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...

, produced in Paris 1926 by

Georges Pitoëff Georges Pitoëff (Russian: Георгий Питоев; 4 September 1884 – 17 September 1939) was a Russian émigré with an Armenian background who became one of the leading actors and directors in France. Early life and education Pitoëff was ...

and

Ludmilla Pitoëff Ludmilla Pitoëff (December 25, 1896 – September 15, 1951) was a Russian-born French stage actress. She also appeared in London and New York, as well as in some films. Biography Born in Tiflis, Russia on December 25, 1896, she married George ...

, with decors by

Jean Hugo Jean Hugo (; 19 November 1894 – 21 June 1984) was a painter, illustrator, theatre designer and author. He was born in Paris and died in his home at the Mas de Fourques, near Lunel, France. Brought up in a lively artistic environment, he beg ...

and costumes by

Coco Chanel Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel ( , ; 19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and Businessperson, businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with populari ...

. The play was the first major work for the theater written by Cocteau. It is based on the myth of

Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...

, dealing largely with the

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

. While contemporary critics called the work "superficial," it has later been called "a brilliantly conceived homage to the supernatural". Cocteau later, rather loosely, adapted the play to the better known film ''

'' (1950).''Jean Cocteau and the French Scene'', page 195

Plot

The scene is Orpheus and

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice', classical pronunciation: ) was a character in Greek mythology and the wife of Orpheus, whom Orpheus tried to bring back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several ...

's home in

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

. There is a mirror on the left wall and at stage rear a white horse, protruding from a niche. As the play begins Orpheus is trying to interpret a message that the horse is tapping out with his hoof. Eurydice expresses her jealousy for the supernatural nag who takes so much of her husband's time. Orpheus angrily replies that the horse brings him phrases from the unknown that are more astonishing than all the poems in the world. The poem the horse taps out for Orpheus reads "Madame Eurydice Reviendra Des Enfers" ("Madam Eurydice Will Come Back From Hell"). Orpheus enters the poem in a contest but the judges are infuriated because the initial letters of the words spell "MERDE" ().Oxenhandler, page 134-135 While Orpheus is at the contest Eurydice is murdered by her ex-friends, the

Bacchantes In Greek mythology, maenads (; ) were the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of his retinue, the '' thiasus''. Their name, which comes from μαίνομαι (''maínomai'', “to rave, to be mad; to rage, to be angr ...

. Returning, Orpheus decides to rescue her from death. Instructed by the angel Heurtebise, he passes through the mirror and brings Eurydice back to life, but life together is impossible as he is not allowed to look at her. The Bacchantes return to harass Orpheus, claiming he has submitted an obscene poem. Orpheus is decapitated and Eurydice leads him back through the mirror. The angel puts Orpheus's head on a pedestal, where, in answers to questions from the police, it announces it is Jean Cocteau and gives Cocteau's address, 10 ''rue d'Anjou''.

References

Neal Oxenhandler "The Theater of Jean Cocteau," ''Jean Cocteau and the French Scene'', Abbeville Press 1984 {{DISPLAYTITLE:''Orpheus'' (play) Plays by Jean Cocteau 1926 plays Plays about Orpheus